Biblical Moment 21: Bethlehem: Celebrating Jesus’ Birth Where He was Born! Alleluia!
Day 12 of Andy’s month-long ‘Spiritual Journey to Israel & Palestine was Christmas Eve December 24th!
I would end the day celebrating Midnight Mass on the day Jesus was born at the place Jesus was born in Bethlehem! A dream come true to celebrate Jesus’ birth where it happened in the grotto beneath the altar of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine! The mass actually takes place in the adjacent Church of St. Catherine literally about 100 feet from the grotto. At the end of the mass the newly born Baby Jesus is part of a procession out of St. Catherine’s into the grotto to place him in the manger!
To get to Midnight Mass in Bethlehem I took the 324 bus to Checkpoint 300, all of which I rehearsed the week prior. Instead of walking the two miles up to Nativity Square I took my old friend Khalid’s taxi this time with a detour to visit the nearby Shepherds’ Field, a biblical moment. Khalid took me to an unscheduled stop at his brother’s Olive Wood Factory just below Nativity Square. Very nice merchandise but no room in the suitcase to take home!
Nativity Square with its huge Christmas Tree had come alive since my last visit! Some more fried shepherd’s cheese with my friend Mahmoud at the Nativity Square Restaurant. I am a man of habits except when I am not!
Lourdes from Heaven Above provided not only a ticket to Midnight Mass but a room at Casa Nova Pilgrim House which is literally attached to the Nativity/St. Catherine’s churches! I felt a bit guilty as there was a room for me at the inn but not one for Mary & Joseph and little Baby-to-Be Jesus.
I stayed up until 3 AM just taking in the atmosphere of Bethlehem and Nativity Square and all what the birth of Jesus has meant to the world! TROML Baby (an exclamation of joy); what a day Christmas Eve 2018 turned out to be! An overwhelming blessing for sure! Grateful!
A Prophecy foretold and a Prophecy fulfilled!
“But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall take His Place as Shepherd by the strength of the Lord, by the majestic name of the Lord, his God; and they shall dwell securely, for now His Greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: He shall be peace.”—Micah 5:1-4
CLICK HERE for VIDEO of Christmas Carols & Muslim Muezzin on Nativity Square in Bethlehem!
Peaceful, joyful, & spiritual moment at Nativity Square in Bethlehem, Palestine last Christmas Eve… beyond the lighted Christmas Tree to the right is the Church of the Nativity beneath which is where the Grotto of the Nativity, the very place Jesus was born… to the left is the Mosque of Omar, Bethlehem’s only mosque… in between the Palestinian Peace Center… the sounds of Christmas carols being sung as the loudspeakers echo a Muslim Muezzin for the Adhan, one of five daily calls to prayer… and in the Old City of Jerusalem there are similar peaceful, joyful, & spiritual moments… wishing peace to all people and all nations in the upcoming New Year of 2020!
(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 1 Video; 12-24-18)
CLICK HERE for VIDEO of Christmas Eve on Nativity Square in Bethlehem!
An extraordinary spiritual Merry Christmas to you from Bethlehem! Celebrating Jesus’ birth where he was born! Visited Jesus’ birthplace beneath the altar of the Church of the Nativity! Dinner at The Square Restaurant now, festival, & Midnight Mass later!
(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 1 Video; 12-24-18)
Wonderful & hopeful message and welcoming Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine by the Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem! The restored mosaics in the Church of the Nativity are beautiful and so too can we and our countries be! Praying for peace, respect and full autonomy for the States of Israel and Palestine!
(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 1 Video; 12-25-18)
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